Blogging in the Fashion Industry

Blogging in the fashion industry is an important tool, and should be used extensively. Fashion companies, promoters, and designers, would benefit from social media and enhancing their brand. My thoughts are, some of the blogging benefits that would increase awareness of a brand in the fashion industry would be:

·         Express thoughts and opinions to increase engagement

·         Gain important knowledge about the consumer or target market

·         Generate transparency throughout the brand

·         Keep consumers updated and informed about such things as new designers

·         Promoting fashion events which in turn increases brand awareness

·         Generating traffic which will lead to discussions and opinions such as a new fall fashion line

I feel blogging for the fashion industry is an excellent example of how using this channel is very beneficial to increase a brand.

Three Specific recommendations:

·         Come up with a blogging strategy within your companies social media budget  to promote fashion designers, events, or fashion companies.

·         Include resources, links, and informative content within the fashion industry.

·         Have measurements and analytics in place to help achieve goals and objectives, such as increase followers, or measure sentiment and feedback.

Companies in the fashion industry currently use social media,  but I feel that blogging could be enhanced even more using a blogging strategy to increase a brand more.

Jimmy Choo on Facebook

Jimmy Choo is doing a good job at maintaining their social media campaign, for being such a high end designer and large corporation.  They are frequently updating and posting information about there products, almost every day with mulitple posts.  This has allowed them to gain 547,473 followers, with each post obtaining thousands of comments and likes. Along with posting information about their products, they provide their followers with news, upcoming events, and links to articles about Jimmy Choo.  Although they are doing a great job, there are some things that they could improve upon. 

Wtih Jimmy Choo's post generating thousands of comments there is litte interaction from the companys part.  They should be interacting with their followers more, and this would allow them to generate more discussions and be more engagining. Their posts over all focus on informing and promoting there products.   Jimmy Choo should give more incentive for the consumer to return to their facebook page.  

Over all, Jimmy Choo is doing a good job with their social media campaign, taking into consideration that they are already a house hold name in the fashion industry. 

http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/JimmyChoo 

Social Media Tools - Holt Renfrew

About the Company
The company I chose which was related to my fashion blog was Holt Renfrew.  The company carries designer fashions, shoes, and other fashionable items for both men and women. It is considered to be a very high end department store.  Holt Renfrew also holds fashion events throughout the year.  Designer fashions at Holt Renfrew include top designers such as Gucci, Chanel, Versaci, Louis Vitton, etc. 

Social Media Tracking Tools
The first one I used was HowSociable. I chose this tool as it was free and did not require any downloading. HowSociable provides a easy way to measure the brand’s visibility on the social web using 32 different platforms. The site was simple to follow however it had a few limitations.  I was able to view Twitter tweets, however facebook for example ,was not allowing any content sharing or conversation viewing.  The scores were very useful, especially when comparing to other companies or similar brands.  The ratings can be monitored for changes.

I also used Addictomatic which allows the creation of a custom page of search results from 25 different social media platforms. I was able to obtain blogs from Wordpress.com using Addictomatic. It was easier to obtain information using Addictomatic and navigate around the different platforms with the ability to bookmark it. I found this to be very useful. The following were a few of the conversations from Wordpress.com using Addictomatic:

21 September 2009 by Charla

…  on Facebook.  The Scope ran an article about the latest Holt Renfrew Catalog layout. It's not only beautiful and inspiring but they …

January 7, 2011 by Peonies&Cupcakes
WHAT?! You heard it right! I know this doesn’t happen very often so I thought I would share that this weekend only Holt Renfrew is having 20% off the lowest ticketed sale price. WOW! I definitely ♥ Holt’s but they are damn expensive so this is exciting!

Company Findings

Conversation Details	Rating:  Postive=+1 Neutral=0 Negative=-1
JesscaCN: A most interesting window display at Holt Renfrew. http://twitpic.com/4ayluy	+1
StephanieHakim: @Zgulmi @etienneboulay22 If i can suggest something, i say a shopping spree at Holt Renfrew!!! lol	+1
stephaniewels: Why did I let myself wander into holt renfrew #poorlife	0
anziejewelry: Check Out: Fashionata Spring Fashion Show at Holt Renfrew http://t.co/QGTFBQ4 via @avenuemagazine	0
athena_dalessio: At Holt Renfrew- the constant reminder that I spent way too much on my prom dress.	-1
lance_concept: A F$&kin tshirt for $575.00 @ Holt Renfrew	-1
kcheng: This Holt Renfrew is awesome! I keep getting comp choco covered espresso beans, macaroons, Smart Water n now I'm playin XBOX Kinect!	+1
DianneChow: RT @thestregishotel: http://tinyurl.com/4kmnkwj (expand ) NEW CONTEST! Win a St Regis/Holt Renfrew Shop and Stay pkg. 3 ways to enter	0
that_angela: @madisonjanine If I went to Holt Renfrew to buy everything I wanted, it would probably cost the same as a house.	-1
TheREALNotNice: Holt Renfrew.....i hate you guys right now, my pouch zipper spoiledddd	-1

Holt Renfrew’s visibility score is 277, and a tweeter score of 1001. The overall sentiment is mixed (positive versus negative). It is clear however looking at the findings, that Holt Renfrew is a elite place to shop, however very expensive for the average income work, as it carries many high priced designer fashions.  The breakdown for the ratings from the above 10 Twitter conversations are as follows:  

Positive	30%
Neutral	30%
Negative	40%

.

Other Social Media Tools

Monitoring twitter conversation and measuring Sentiment can be done using Twitter Twendz.  It is a twitter tracking tool used to explore conversations about a companies brand:

 

I found the following article, which was interesting, on “Why You Shouldn’t Trust Automated Sentiment Scoring“, which outlines the problems with using automated scoring. The company Sentiment360, found examples that had a “50% swing in sentiment”, in automated versus human analysis.

The full article can be viewed here: Automated Sentiment Scoring

In summary, tracking tools are very useful in monitoring a company's brand visibility, and should be used to measure results against the KPI's established in the social media plan.

Press Release - “Fashion Cares for Haiti”

“Fashion Cares for Haiti”: The Relief Benefit Fashion Show

Nassau, Bahamas. 11/14/2010

The three day fashion extravaganza “Fashion Cares for Haiti”, produced by Mode Îles Ltd, was a success!! The purpose of the evening was to showcase the fashion talents of the Haiti people and increase the possibility of the fashion and design to help the Haitian economy. Designs for cultural wear, jewellery, plus sizes, accessories hit the runway with the “intent of changing the perception of fashion from their native land”.  

The Runways had collections from various talented and diversified Haitian designers such as:

• Phelicia Dell (Veve Collection),
• David Andre
• Giovanna Menard (Artisans du Soleiel)
• Michel Chataigne
• Maguy Durce
• Maelle David (Maelle Creations)
• Savannah Savary

Highlights  included designers  Maelle David (Maelle Creations), with a “full-figured” line, modelled by Bahamian beauty queens as well as Ms. Full-Figured Bahamas, and  Ms. Teen Plus Bahamas.

Celebrity designer and TV personality Nick Verreos hosted the event, which captivated the audience. Islands of the World Fashion Week (IWFW), which took place in the capital city of the Bahamas, was one of the most talked about fashion events of the season.  

Designer Awards were presented to:

• “In Search of the Next Oscar”- Georgina Estherr (Dominican Republic)
•  “NextGen”- David Rolle (Bahamas)
• Eco-Fashion Award- Oliver Tolentino (Philippines)
• Cultural-Fashion Award- Phelicia Dell (Haiti)
•  “Runway to Fashion Week”- Theodore Elyett (Bahamas)

Theodore Elyett, showcased his 14 piece collection on the runway.  He was awarded a scholarship to the Parsons The New School for Design, and  given a fabric donation by Bahamas Handprint, which was used as part  of his collection.

The Mode Îles Ltd event was supported and attended by Haitian Ambassador to the United Nations; H.E. Leo & Madame Merores, Haitian Ambassador of the Bahamas; Mr. Antonio Rodrigue and other Haitian diplomats.

For more news on this or any other IWFW shows visit the website at www.islandsfashionweek.com. You can also visit www.facebook.com/islandsfashionweek.

For the full press release visit: Islands Fashion Week

Other related IWFW press releases:

 IWFW Televised

For more information contact:

Mr. Kedar Clarke at 242-356-6133 or kclarke@islandsfashionweek.com

Fashion & Social Networking

Companies in the fashion industry use social media extensively to achieve their marketing goals. It is also the fashion promoters, and even designers, that are benefiting from social media.

I feel social media for the fashion industry is an excellent example of how using these channels for marketing, is very beneficial.  The following are examples of how some of these companies are meeting and even exceeding their marketing goals:

Asos ( As Seen On Screen) one of the biggest  online fashion retailers, generating
11m users a month. “On a daily basis, that’s around 700,000 people,”

The company  launched Asos Life, which is an “online community” combined of  staff and customers who blog, chat and post on fashion forums. The company also  launched Asos Marketplace, which allows designers to set up boutique stores on its site selling their own designs.  Recently they began the Asos Facebook store, one of the first retailers to launch a shop on the social networking site.

The following is an interesting article on how the fashion industry is using social media to enhance their brands: “Social media fashion index: fashion show livestream gets brand to the top”.  Some examples of companies that are exceeding marketing their goals are :

·         Victoria Secret with its new bridal collection, now  available  online

·         Levi's profits increased from its unique video for the Curve ID jeans

 I wasn’t able to find any examples of fashion companies that didn’t meet their goals or were not affected positively by social media.  Does anyone have any examples, as I would be interested to see why not?

Fashion for Pets

I thought this was a great opportunity to elaborate on the fashion industry and pets. The market for  dog fashion especially , has grown substantially over the last five years.  These pet boutiques are not only in upscale cities, like Beverly Hills, but are also in many other cities such as Vancouver.  I visited Fetch in Vancouver to find this demand actually exists, and is flourishing. 

If you would like to join the Pooch Party , the next "Fetch Yappy Hour" will take place on May 28th, 5:00 to 8:00 pm.

Our city is embracing the pet friendly culture, including many retail stores.  A cute little dog with a fashionable outfit on, turns heads as much as a model on a “cat walk”. Our pets are our part of our family, so why not showcase them when we can, and also they love this attention!!

Malucchi specializes in fine Italian style for dogs, makes exquisite collars, leashes and carriers, in addition to a clothing line for pets. The majority of customers  for these European manufacturers which uses silks, and crystal beading. If any of you are interested spending a little more on pet products for the “distinguished doggie”, you can visit the online Posh Puppy Boutique.

However, if you are more like me, and don’t have the extra cash, you can still have a fashionable dog, by being creative, and keeping your costs down by sewing them yourself, or purchasing the outfits in discounted retail stores such as Winners.

Do any of you know of any other retail stores to purchase discounted pet clothing and accessory lines?

My  closing tip....fashion whether for your dogs or yourself, doesn’t need to be expensive,  it’s being creative that makes that fashion statement. 

Top 10 List For a Successful Fashion Event

I put this list together from experiences I gained from the Fashion Week 2010, that I helped out on as well as an Event Planning course that I took.

My top ten list of a successful fashion show:

1)      Determine the Event purpose, and understand exactly what the intent of the fashion show is.  Is is to showcase local designers? Is it to introduce a new designer?

2)       Identify your target audience and their state of mind. What are their demographics? Is this a event for profit or a charity event?

3)      Create a budget by estimating fashion event show costs, from start to finish.  Is this event being paid for by sponsorships, and if not who will responsible for the costs.

4)      Select a date and venue by considering the type of fashion event you are planning.  Ensure the venue accommodates the all aspects of the event. Consider if there are multiple venues.

5)      Create a timeline, and event project plan, including deadlines for each milestone.

6)      Hire staff, volunteers, and models for the event.  Select event planners and project managers to oversee the event from start to finish.

7)      Publicize the event. Send out invitations to VIP’s, and advertise fashion event using various social media tools to announce the event.

8)      Event logistics, including music, lighting, décor, and obtain permits required for the event.

9)      Money should be spent strategically. Always go back to the intent and the audience.

10)   Post event evaluation.  Look at what worked well, and what the weakness were to improve on for the next Fashion show!!

Does anyone have any others that should be added as a priority, or possibly replaced in my list?

Liana